It shocks some people that I have moved from the runway to the waterfall, but I
think the 800 meters is where I am suppose to be, this is my story.
My story beings when I was in elementary school. That is when I realized I had
some speed. I loved running; I would race boys home from school. My dad ran
track and always talked about the 400 meter dash so I knew that that was what I
was going to do. My quarter mile career began in 3rd grade and changed
directions my junior year of high school. In high school my team lacked talent
on the girls’ side so I picked up the slack. I ran the 100, 200, 400, 4x100,
4x400 and long jumped. I was a dime a dozen sprinter in the 100 and 200,
although I did win the state meet in 24.7 my junior year in high school, 1992.
My 400m stood out most and as I conquered the technique of the long jump, my
jumping excelled. My coaches figured out that I had a vertical; I would later
set a vertical record in college, 29 inches. Spending 2 years of high school in
England as a military child in a private American School, my training and
competition were limited. When I moved to Nebraska during the winter in 1990
when I was a sophomore in high school things changed. I ran into a young
talented ambitious coach at Bellevue West High School. He saw talent in me in
the 400m and started training me and toughening me up, he also coached me to a
Junior Olympic record in the long jump that still stands. Being a distance
coach and former distance runner, he believed that everyone should run cross
country. I hated it but that summer my junior year of high school I was in
great shape. I won the state meet in the 200m, 400m, and long jump posting a
24.7, 55.36 (which is the state record that still stands), and 19’2”.
The summer before my junior year my coach convinced me to run summer track with
the local youth distance club he coached for, few people in the club ran under
800m. This club went to the Junior Olympic meet and won the 4x800 several times
in several divisions. Part of being on the club would include anchoring the
4x800 relay. We won the Junior Olympic meet that year, 1992. My senior year,
1993, my coach convinced me to run some 800s, not fun. The fastest time I could
run was 2:21; I did split a 2:17 on a relay and we were Junior Olympic 4x800m
champs twice. I hated the 800m.
My senior year I sprained my ankle really bad and did not run state, missing an
opportunity to better my 400 and long jump.
Being recruited by schools for the long jump and as a 4x400 relay leg ended my
800 running, which I was happy about. At the University of Nebraska Lincoln I
would be a jumper sprinter competing in the long and triple jump, 55, 200, 400,
4x400, and 4x100.
I would become a 10 time All American and the NCAA 1996 Long Jump Champion
indoor and outdoor.
After college I continued to jump in the University World games (my second time
representing the US, the first time I went to the Junior World Games), Helsinki,
in meets in Hungary, and other small European meets. My career started to go
down hill in 1999; I needed knee surgery from an injury I sustained at the
University World Games in Sicily. I did get surgery in France in 2000. I lived
in France teaching English and training with a group, competing at low key
French meets running the 400m and jumping from 1999-2001. Then I spent time in
Hungary teaching English and trying to come back from 2001-2002. I returned to
the states wanting to be where I was in track and field. I briefly trained in
St. Louis then moved to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista California on
old marks. I reinjured myself and lost focused and was asked to leave the
center shortly after. Wanting to continue, knowing I could do it, I moved to
San Francisco. I briefly trained in the sprints and jumps before deciding to
start a family. Not wanting to give up running altogether I ran until I was 5 ½
months pregnant. At age 28 I had my little girl, not wanting to be fat after
pregnancy I started back working as a coach and working out 2 weeks after her
birth. I took her out in a jogging stroller. I had no intention of doing track
and field again. I was a mom, a teacher, and a coach. At 30 I was hungry to
compete again. My little one was two so I began to run 10 minutes a day 3 times
a week. Some days I would go 15 minutes a day. I found a goal, a 5k for a
local homeless shelter. I set my goal for 25 minutes, I finished in 24. It was
fun; I upped my training and decided to do 5ks for charities. I got my time
down to 22 minutes, that year my goal was not to just finish, but win top 3 and
get some medals. The little ones I was successful at the big ones I kept
getting beat by these girls wearing a red Team Nebraska Brooks uniform, I wanted
one.
The next year, 2007, I was on the team as a B athlete. Over time my 5k time
dropped ending up at 20:59, I got my 2 mile to 11:53, and I ran a couple of 10k
races in between. I was running and winning some local races but I wasn’t
traveling or making any teams for my club. I ran a half marathon and was one of
the first in the medical tent. After that, I came to the realization that I am
not a long distance runner.
An email came to all club members to volunteer for a road race mile put on by
the club, all the marathon and 10k girls were not interested, I was the first to
volunteer. It was a downhill mile, I ran 5:09.
In the fall of 2008 I decided to do 2 indoor races for fun so I travelled to
Lincoln, Nebraska and Vermillion, South Dakota. I ran a 5:25 mile in Lincoln
and a 5:30 mile followed by a 2:25 800m in South Dakota. Needless to say I
stuck to road races that year until club nationals. Another email was sent out
that summer about running in Kansas City at the USATF Club National Meet, I
wanted to be an A athlete so I thought this would be my chance. I knew I wasn’t
a miler so I thought I would double the 400 and 800m, the times the year before
did not seem that fast. I needed to qualify, I hadn’t run since the indoor
meets in Vermillion and Lincoln, and before that I hadn’t run the 800 since high
school. I ran a 2:11 at a meet held by the club, an hour later I ran a 56 400
meters, I was in. I took 2nd in both, I was finally an A athlete. I still was
not interested in pursuing a second track career; I finished the summer road
racing. It wasn’t until that fall that I was interested. I again signed up for
the downhill mile our club put on. It was 2008, they stacked the field. They
brought in good college girls, some runners from Iowa, and Allison Schmidt, an
Olympian. I hung with the group the first 800m. At 800 looked at the time
clock sitting on the pace truck in front of us, it read 2:08. They finished in
4 something; I finished in about 5:40. After that run I was very happy, I had
run a 2:08 800, I went home and found some workouts and plotted an indoor season
for 2009.
I had only run the 800m indoor twice before I started off at Iowa State in
December, I ran 2:13 and ended that indoor season with a 2:06.02 at the USATF
Indoor National meet placing 5th. I training myself using 400m dash workouts
(the many miles and 1000 repeats scared me in the 800m training). I got stale
in the middle of January at a time of 2:09. I was frustrated and questioned
myself. I vented to a college roommate and ex husker middle distance runner,
Sara Domeier. She agreed to help. When she signed on we dropped from 2:10 to
2:07 to qualify for the indoor meet. I had no plans for the outdoor season; I
had just planned for the indoor. I had met my goal. Sara convinced me to go
on. I got burned out and wasn’t able to travel much because of trying to be a
mom, teaching, and coaching two youth track clubs was a lot.
I competed in 4 meets in the 2009 outdoor season and 2 road races. One of the
road races when the USATF mile road race championship, I was destroyed by
Shannon Rowbury, and everyone else in that race. In the back of my mind I still
thought I could run a mile under 5 minutes. I ran 2:07, 2:08 and 2:07 and then
finally qualified for the USATF National Meet in Oregon with a 2:04.79. By then
I had a good baby sitter and high school and junior high track were over. I ran
that on June 6th and then trained through to the National meet. I made it to
the semi finals and ended my first season as a high level 800m runner. I ended
my season with a injured quad a double gold medals from the Club National
Championship meet in the 400m and 800m (2:07 and 53.30). I was hungry for 2010.
After 6 weeks off, with lofty goals and my daughter 5 years old, I went after
it. Sara revised our plan from the year before. I got more support from my
club, the community, and Brooks. We started the year at Iowa State again, but I
didn’t want to run the 800 because I thought it would be slow. I entered the
400m not having touched blocks since the summer of 2009 at the Club
championship. I knew it would be a fast race there was a Jamaican athlete
entered who had run 52. She took me around in 53.57 on a 300m track; it was the
middle of December. Sara and I were excited, I landed on the IAAF World list, a
dream I had. Running the 400 brought back good feelings, but we were training
to run the 800m. I ran my first 800 in January 15th (2:09) then run another
400m the next day (53.76 on a 200m track). I missed out on my next two meets
because of a calf injury. I ran my next meet February 6th, 800m in 2:07. I was
qualified but not happy with my run. The 13th and 14th of February we went up to
Iowa State, Sara and I with our children. After a pep talk from my 5 year old
about running to win, I ran 2:05.00 now landing on the IAAF World list for the
800m. My net meet was supposed to be on the 19th but I pick up the gold in Ames
and my daughter pick up the flu. I took two days off work and training and
nursed her back to health. Then I got it and missed two more days, Nationals
was in 10 days. My first workout back was the 19th of February. The day I was
suppose to race. I missed out and focused on the big meet. I finished 5th for
the second year in a row. This year I was able to bounce back and run the
second round, last year I ran 2:06 the first night and 2:08 the second and this
year I ran 2:05 and 2:04.62 (a lifetime best indoor and out).
I am glad I moved from the runway to the waterfall. I am looking forward to the
outdoor season. I enjoy lining up with girls 10 years younger than me and
sometimes coming out on top. I enjoy the bell lap, the fight to the finish, and
the pain after. I don’t miss being on the run way or the sand but always look
forward to the cut.
